More choice for bebinca lovers

It is more choice for lovers of traditional Goan sweets
with new brand, JMR Bebinca launching in all super markets, general stores and
Kaju shops in Margao, Panaji, Mapusa and Calangute. The brand is owned by
businessman, Ulrique Rodrigues who scripted his early childhood in the
household of traditional bebinca-makers and mastered the art of choosing raw
products that help in blending and homogenization.

Rodrigues says that he named the brand after his father,
John Menin Rodrigues. “Getting the right coconut and squeezing coconut milk is
the secret of making good bebinca,” he said. He personally assures that the
right coconut is plucked and as per his experience prefers the Benaulim variety
of coconut. Born in coastal village of Utorda, he has naturally mastered the
art of choosing the right coconut and flour.

Another ingredient which is important is egg. “The yolk
of country hen eggs is the perfect one but is difficult to get in bulk. The
ghee, nutmeg, sugar and flour, also plays an important role in the sweet,” says
Rodrigues, adding that, the flour should have the right consistency. When the
Portuguese established “Estado da Índia Goa” in the fifteenth century,
they bestowed the art of baking bread in Goa. They choose Majorda, Utorda for
their pilot project as bebinca traces its roots to Portugal.

Rodrigues experience in the food industry, both in
marketing and production, is of 30 years. He says that, JMR Bebinca has a
product shelf life of four months as it is vacuum packed by modern machinery
and conforms to FDA standards.

The product is prized at Rs 200 for 500 gram package and
Rs 100 for 250 grams package. Other products of JMR are croquette, beef samosa,
beef chops and